Well I see you've read the ongoing article I wrote in the Music Lounge. That's a big step right there. Knowing all that puts you ahead of about 50% of people trying to "make it big". The main thing is to work hard, and work smart. If you don't know something, ask questions. More importantly ask smart questions.

You have to do this for the love of music, not money. If you go in it for the money, you're going to get a rude wakeup call.